The Case Against Jussie Smollett Is Dropped, Leaving Everyone In The Dark
Guilty until proven Innocent? Innocent until Proven Guilty?
While the case of Jussie Smollett and the confusing web and grey clouds of doubt continues to hold the country captive and at the edge of their seat (much like his hit Fox TV show, Empire), a couple of things are certain: 1) while the court of law seems to have ruled the case closed, the court of public opinion has not been as conclusive, and 2) we may never know what truly happened.
We last left off as Smollett was released from jail (after posting his $100,000 bond) after turning himself in to the Chicago Police after having federal charges were brought against him for filing a police report. After he was released, Smollett kept a relatively low profile; insisting upon his innocence.
While Empire’s executives had shown support and solidarity behind Smollett early in the investigation and chain of events, it remained relatively silent following his release; quietly writing him out of the last two episodes of the season.
On March 8th, the country was stunned as Smollett was indicted on 16 felony counts following his Chicago attack allegations. Days later, on March 14th, Smollett, in a courtroom full of press and reporters, plead not guilty to the all charges stemming from the alleged hate crime.
March 26th brought about another shocker as the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office confirmed it would not be prosecuting Smollett, with the judge granting a nolle pros (dismissal of a suit.)
Even with the case officially ‘closed’, it still seems to be filled with many twists and turns. The public still seems to be on the fence regarding their feelings about the dropped case. Many within the African-American community (while minimizing his queer identification) have come out in support of Smollett; seeing this as a win for African-Americans within an institution built to oppress black people. Smollett, nominated for an NAACP Award, has even been supported and encouraged to attend by the show’s host, fellow actor Anthony Anderson.
Politicians and city officials, both inside and out of Chicago, are just as enthralled in the Smollett case as the public. Outrage over the Smollett case has pushed the city of Chicago to not only sue Smollett for over $130,000 in overtime hours and city resources used to expedite the investigation, but are also rallying against the Smollett case decision. It seems like Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson aren’t sold on the decision either, as they publicly denounced the prosecutor’s decision. Even President Trump is rallying on the topic; commanding and instructing the FBI to further investigate the case; sealed shut from the public after the ruling.
Even with a resolution, it seems like Smollett, the investigation, and the case surrounding him have only produced more questions. Why is President Trump injecting himself personally into this case, and why is he pushing for the FBI and the Department of Justice to investigate? Why was the case sealed shut after the charges against Smollett were dropped? With crime rates sky high in Chicago, why were so many resources exhausted on this case? Even amongst his supporters, questions arise. With many of the people backing Smollett being African-American, do people support him and the decision of the case because they believe him, or because of their relation to his African-American identity?
Through it all the entire time, Smollett has maintained his innocence and said that he has been 100% honest and cooperative in his case.
With every new chapter of the story, a new layer, more questions arise, and the truth becomes less and less clear. The only truth we can all accept is we will never know what truly happened. And the only thing we can do is continue to tune into the next episode.